Cork-cutting machine



M. IVIARSA. @03K CUTTING' MAcmNE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 30, 1919.

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INVENTO/ ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

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M. MAH'SA.

CORK CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLlcATmN FILED 001.30. |919. l 3?45022, Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

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` /lvl/E/voh v By l ATTORNEY @s uw M. MARSA.

COHKYCUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED @61.30.1919.

1,374,922. Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

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Mnl-.GHOR MARSA, or New YORK, N. Y., AssIGNOR TO INTERNATIONAL cORK OOM- PANY, or BROOKLYN, NRW YORK, A CORPORATION or NEW YORK.

CORK-CUTTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.r

Patented Apr. 5, 1921.

Application filed October 30, 1919. Serial No. 334,407.

T 0 all whom t may concern State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cork-Cutting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to an improved cork cutting apparatus, and more particularly to a machine fo-r producing disks from cork strips, which are to be employed in the manufacture of the wellknown crown-corks, or generally in the production of closures of the cap variety. j The invention pertains more particularly to that type of disk cutting machines, which is provided with bodily stationary, rotary, tubular cutters, to which the cork strips are presented by a workholder moving to and fro said cutters, said work holder including a feeding mechanism, one element of which is constituted by a toothed bar or plate member. This bar or plate member reciprocates in relation to other elements of the work holder. In practice it has been found that, when the machine runs idle, say for instance in case the attendant does not feedV being that the cork strips are not presented f properlyk to the cutters.

The main object of the present invention is to obviate the difficulty mentioned, by so constructing the feeding mechanism that its Vteeth are at all times out of contact with the elements of the work holder.

With these and other objects in view, which will more fully appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists ini the combination, arrangement and construction of parts hereinafter described, pointed o-ut in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it being understood that many changes may be made in the size and proportion of the several parts and details of construction within the scope of the appended claims without departing from` the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention,

One of the many possible embodiments'of the invention is illustrated `in the accompanying drawings, in whiche- Figure 1 is a plan viewof the improved cork disk cutting machine, certain elements being removed in` order to more clearly show the construction; Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 ofFig. 2, on a larger scale; and Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 1, on a larger scale.

In the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates the main or supporting frame of the machine, including arhorizontal table portion 11. Adjacent the front end of the frame there is rotatably mounted in the table portion 11 a plurality of tubular cutters 12, rotation being imparted to the ksame inY any suitable manner, for instance by a train of gears, denoted in the drawings by the numeral 13, one element ofthis train, for instance the gear 14, Vbeing connected to a suitable source of power, not shown- These tubular cutters are bodily stationary, that is to say they are so mounted upon the platform 11 that they are prevented from moving in the direction of their longitudinal axes.

. Above the table Vportion 11 there are formed upon the rear end ofthe frame 10 upwardly .extending bearings'l, in which is rotatably mounted a transversely extending horizontal driving vshaft 16, to which is keyed a pulley 17, receiving motionV from any suitable source of power.k Upon this driving shaft are mounted the hubs 18 of a normallyhorizontally extending frame 18, carrying the work holder `and feeding mechanism of the machine. This frame, with the workholder and feeding mechanism, may be shifted around the driving shaft in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, until it abuts against fiXed'stops 19 on the rear end of the frame .10. For holding the frame 18 in its normal held thereagainst, when it is desired to sharpen theV cutters or to remove.v foreign matter that may have collected on the table portion 11 below the work holder.

The work holder of the machine comlio prises a horizontal plate member 21, having apertures 22, through which the cutters 12 are adapted vto extend. This plate member is connected with the driving shaft by a plurality of blade springs 23, in the present case two, which are either attached to the said plate member or may be made integral therewith. The blade springs extend to the driving shaft 16, around'` which they are loosely wound, as clearly shown at 24 (Figs. 2 and 4). The front end of the plate member, denoted by the numeral 25, is curved downward adjacent a stationary guide 26 on the table portion 11. The cork strips are advanced by the operator on the guide 26 toward the, plate member 21,with the latter coperating a feeding slide 27, that is disposed above the plate member 21, it being slidable in horizontal guideways 28V in the sides of the frame 18. This slide is provided on its underface with transversely extending teeth 29, that project toward the plate member 21. In order to prevent the teeth of the slide from coming into contact with the said plate member, one of these two elements is provided with spacing ridges. In the case illustrated in the drawings, the slide 27 is provi-ded along its longitudinal edges with downwardly extendingr ridges 30, that are higher than its teeth and adapted to bear against the longitudinal edges of the plate 2l.' They feeding slide is actuatedl from the driving shaft 16, to which are keyed for this purpose two cams 31, bearing against yokes 32, that straddle Said cams. These yokes are connected by rigid bars 33 with the feedin slide., Y

Vith the plate member 21 coperatc presser feet 34, the number of which corresponds to that of the tubular cutters 12. These presser feet are each made in the form of a spindle-35, provided at its lower end with a disk-shaped enlargement 36, having an annular groove 37 in its underface, adapted to. receive the cutting edge of the respective cutter 12. The spindles extend vertically and are slidably mounted in guides 38 on the frame 18, thel enlargements 36 thereof being adapted to move through longitudinal slots 39y in vthe slide 27. The spindles are fixed toa frame 40, that is. disposed a substantial distance above the frame 18. Springs 41, coiled upon Jthe spindles and bearing against the frame 40-and against the guides 38, are provided for a purpose herein- 'after to. be described; lThe presser feet are actuated from the driving shaft 16, to which is keyed or otherwise attached, for thispurpose,'a cam 42, bearing against a lever 43, that is fulcrumed at 44 to the frame 18 and connected by a link 45 with the frame 40.

The cams. 31 and 42 are so timed that the feeding slide 27 is caused to. move on its idle stroke, that is to say toward the guide 26, when thepresser feetfareon their downward stroke and already in contact with the cork strip, the said presser feet movingvk on their upward stroke when the slide 27 performs the feeding operation, that is to say when it moves toward the driving shaft 16.

Springs 46 are inserted between the plate member 21 and the table portion 11. These springs have a tendency to raise the said plate. member.

The operation of this machine is as follows z-Let us assume lthat the cuttersl 12 have just finished their cutting operation. Art that moment the presser feet 34 are in their lowermost positions, forcing the cork strip against the cutters and holding the plate member 21 in its` lowermost position against the action of the springs 46. When the parts are in these positions, the feeding slide 27 is near the end of itsidle stroke. After the cutting operation, the cam '42 causes the presser feet-to move upward, permitting the springs 46, to force the plate 21 upward, with the result vthat the waste material is stripped off thecutters and forced against the feeding slide 27. As soon as the stripping operation has been performed, the slide 27 is caused to move on its feeding stroke towardl the driving shaft 16, advancingy the cork the proper distance and presenting the same to the cutters 12. The presser feet move then downward, forcing the cork against the cutters, which cut the disks :from the strip, thessaid disks dropping by gravity through the cutters into a receptacle below the same, not shown. While the cutting operation takes-place, the feeding slide 27 moves on its idle stroke, after which the cycle of operation above described is repeated.v l f i From the foregoing it appears that the plate member 21 has a two-fold purpose, towit: First, it serves as a support or workholder, and, second, it constitutes a stripper. is a support it functions in coperation with the presser feet as a gripping device, holding the cork strip against movement while the cutting` operation` takes place. Y The presser feet have also'a two-fold function, that is to say, first, lthey form a gripping jaw, and, second, they move the cork strip toward the bodily stationary cutters, thereby enabling the latter to: perform the cutting operation. y f- Shouldl the machine Lrunidle, the: ridges -30I bear, during part of each cycle of opera'-v tion, against the plate :member 21.V Since these'ridges are higher than the teeth, ythey prevent. the plate member 21 from` coming into Contact with lthe said teeth. It is, obvious, therefore, that, no matter how longzthe machine will run idle, `its teeth will remain intact, or in other words they will always be ready to perform their purpose.

What I'claim is 1. 1n a disk cutting machine, the'combination with a frame, of a bodily stationary rotary tubular cutter mounted thereon, a work holder comprising a support having an aperture through which said cutter is adapted to extend and a presser Vfoot for forcing said support and the material thereon against said cutter, said presser foot having an enlargement adapted to bear against said support and being provided in said enlargement with an annular groove accommodating the cutting edge of said cutter, springs working against said support having a tendency to cause the same to move in a direction opposite to which it is moved by said presser foot, a toothed feeding slide coacting with said support, said slide and work support being movable toward and from one another, and means for preventing said support from contacting with said slide when the machine runs idle, said Contact preventing means being deeper than the teeth of said slide and interposed directly between said support and slide and permanently associated with one at least. Y

2. In a disk cutting machine, the combination with a frame, of a bodily Stationary rotary tubular cutter mounted thereon, a feeding slide moving in a plane at right angles to the longitudinal axis of said cutter, a work supporting plate movable to and fro said slide, and means -directly contactable with said plate mounted upon said slide adapted to prevent said supporting plate from contacting with said slide when the machine runs idle.

3. In a disk cutting machine, the combination with a frame, of a bodily station'-- ary rotary tubular cutter mounted thereon, a toothed feeding slide moving in a plane at right angles to the longitudinal axis of said cutter, a work supporting plate movable to and from the teeth of said slide, and means mounted upon said slide Vand directly contactable with said plate adapted to prevent said support from contacting with said teeth when the machine runs idle.

4. In a disk cutting machine, the combination with a frame, of a bodily stationary rotary tubular cutter mounted thereon, a

toothed feeding slide moving in a plane at right angles to the longitudinal axis of said cutter, a work supporting plate movable to 'and fro the teeth of said slide, and ridges ceeding that of said teeth to prevent said support from contacting with said teethA 'f when the machine runs idle.

5. In a disk cutting machine, the combination with a rotary tubular cutter, of a feeding slide moving in a plane at right angles to the longitudinal axis of Said cutter, a work support including a plate movable to and fro said slide, and means carriedby oneY of said last-mentioned two elements and directly contactable with the other one adapted to prevent said plate from contacting with the acting portion of said slide when the machine runs idle.

6. In a disk cutting machine, the combination with .a rotary tubular cutter, of ya' toothed feeding slide moving in a plane at right yangles to the longitudinal axis of said cutter, a work support including a plate movable to and from said slide, and means carried by one of said last-mentioned two elements and directly contactable with the other one adapted to prevent said plate from contacting with the teeth of said Slide when the machine runs idle. Y

7. In a disk cutting machine, the combination with a ,rotary tubular cutter, of a toothed feeding slide moving in a plane at right angles to the longitudinal axis of said cutter, a work support including a plate movable to and fro said slide, and ridges along the longitudinal' edges of said slide projecting toward and directly contactable with said plate and being of a height exceeding that of said teeth lfor preventing said slide from contacting with said teeth when the machine runs idle.

Signed at New York, in the Vcounty of Kings, and State of New York, this 19th day of September, A. D. 1919.

MELoHoR MARSA. 

